Tales from Tipton - Pt 2

Returning Home

10 Oct 2010

Whilst very safe and secure, the Black Country Museum moorings can be a bit noisy. The dual carriage road outside is something of a racetrack and the local boy racer brigade use it as a Santa Pod surrogate, particularly on a Saturday night.

Scenes from Wolverhampton Basin

Whilst I slept through most of it I was aware that a cops and  robbers drama was unfolding, which carries on till about 3.00am and everyone wearied of the game and slunk off to their respective beds / cells. Silence ensued.

In addition to Moore 2 Life, we shared the moorings with Twelfth of Never, a Gailey based timeshare boat, and Whynot from Kings Bromley - out completing the Black Country Ring. Whynot set off an hour before our departure at 9.30am, carving a path through the floating weed which has dispersed to some extent as the wind had died down overnight.

 Remains of Corn Mill

 Glasshouse

Old turbine hall from Wolverhampton Power Station

The sky cleared and we were treated to a glorious October day with temperatures hitting 20 degrees as we entered Wolverhampton. We did have a vague idea to take a look at the Bradley Arm but the weed looked terrible so we gave it a miss. Amazingly, we didn't trouble the wed hatch once on the returnn - in sharp contrast to yesterday's 6 openings.

Pedestrian tunnel under the old works

We had another look at the sites from Mr Hamstones past and set about the Wolverhampton 21 with a vengeance, breaking out the folding bike to speed our progress. We founding ourselves descending as a rate of knots but about half way down we came up behind Whynot who were taking things slowly. We worked out that we completing two locks for their one, so in no time we were hard on their tails. They had no wish to hold us up so pulled aside at lock 14 to let is continue at our own pace, and to repay the favour we drew a top paddle on leaving each lock to help them. This system worked to the advantage of all parties and we all completed the flight faster than if we had plodded along behind them. In the event it tool id 2hours 15 mins, 20 mins more than yesterday's ascent.

 Mr Hamstone - "Wolverhampton's finest"

The final run back to Calf Heath was as pleasant as it was uneventful, the unseasonable warmth being a real bonus.